Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Adjusting to the Demands of a Baby

As far back as I can remember, being a mother was always something I looked forward to. Some people thought I was crazy for wanting to give up my freedom and why would I try at 22 years old to have a baby? Well, the answer is because I know this is what I want. I met the man of my dreams and when we started trying we had already been together for about 7 years and were newlyweds. We had our down payment for a house saved and we were browsing the market.The timing in my opinion couldn’t have been more perfect! It took two full years of trying and many struggles along the way but we finally have our little bundle Noah. My life feels so complete, he is our absolute everything. Even though we go through our tough times with teething, fussy nights, and just normal baby stuff, I wouldn’t want things any other way. I don’t understand parents who curse having children, I absolutely despise it. Things sure have changed since Noah entered our world. I have to say, he was and still is a perfect baby though. From when he was born all he wanted to do was sleep. We had to set alarms every three hours to wake him for his feedings. We did this until he turned 3 months old, at that time the doctor said it was now safe to let him sleep as long as he desired and that he would wake on his own to eat. It was perfect because it took me months to heal from giving birth, so this allowed me to get the rest I truly needed. During this time it allowed me to clean the house, organize all the new baby gear I received from family and friends and take care of me. When Noah turned 5 months he started sleeping a lot less, keeping up with chores and making time for me started to be more of a challenge but it was still manageable, as he was still pretty stationary. When my son turned 6 months old it all changed! He started sleeping less and developed sleeping patterns. He was rolling around and would get bored easily. Every week he would do new things and reached milestones. Watching him is so rewarding. Time for me is very limited now, but that’s okay! I am the happiest I have ever been. Noah sleeps through the night still, he has a mothers dream schedule. His normal sleeping pattern is from 7:30pm-6:00am, he will nap for an hour around noon, and then another hour around 3. Perfection at it’s finest! I am still adjusting to making time for myself though, and entertaining this little guy sure does get tiring, or I should say exhausting most days! I normally nap with him at noon, it helps give me the extra energy I need for the rest of the day. He just turned 8 months old and now he’s starting to crawl and be adventurous. He is at such a cute, and busy stage. Finding time to do simple things has become a challenge. I take the time during his 3pm nap to fit in cleaning the house, doing laundry and making bottles. So when do I have time to do my nails, straighten/curl my hair, or give myself some pampering? Is doing my nails even worth it anymore because it seems like my hands are constantly in water? My answer is yes, because it makes me feel good! If I don’t make time for me I start to feel blah. I see other Mom’s around town that look blah, because they were not able to make time for themselves. It’s so important that us Mom’s out there, focus on ourselves too! If we don’t feel good about ourselves, it will affect the family. Even though doing my nails, make up and other girly things makes me feel great, that might not be what works for you. We all have something that we like to do, those things we did before children that made us feel confident and happy. I’m asking you to go back there, give yourself 30 minutes a day just for you. It’s important. Even though it has been a struggle, I have been able to fit in time to do my girly things that make me feel good. Now it’s your turn. My current challenge is incorporating exercise into my schedule. So far I have managed to fit in a 20min sweaty workout a day. It might not sound like much to other people, but to someone like me who hasn’t worked out in a long time it’s not that easy. I have been told it will get easier and pretty soon I will be able to rock out on my treadmill for much longer periods of time. Remember to make time for you, because at the end of the day you need to be happy to keep your family happy. - Jenn